Bishop Robert Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ in Chevy Chase, MD, isn’t exactly sure how to handle the casserole question. You see, the Mormon church is run by volunteers, and every member has a job: teaching Sunday school, managing church finances, organizing community food drives, or serving in the tutoring program. So when I asked Bishop Nelson who in his congregation would bring a casserole to Ann Romney if she were to get the flu while her husband was President of the United States, he paused and chuckled. “I can imagine wanting to bring the casserole, but then you have to go through security, and at some point you go, the casserole just isn’t worth it. Call for carry out.” The casserole question is one of many puzzlers Mitt Romney’s presidential run poses for Nelson’s congregation on the northern border of the District of Columbia. Mormons attend church based on their addresses—and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is assigned to Nelson’s parish, or ward. “When we get new members in from any walk of life and I sit down and talk with them: where are you at, what are your needs, how can this church help you, how can you help the church,” explains Nelson. “It is that same discussion—it’s just with somebody who is the President of the free world, so I am sure there are nuances that will be unique.” New faces are by no means rare to the Third Ward–the church averages 25 new converts a year, making it the Mormon church’ s highest baptizing ward in the area. Some 250 people attend gatherings every Sunday, and a total of 650 people from nearly two dozen countries are on the membership roll. Services are warm and people are friendly. When I visited on a recent Sunday, a suited young elder performed a rendition of “I Have been Changed for Good” from the hit musical Wicked to honor the service of departing missionaries. Congregants piled hundreds of cans of food in the foyer for anImage may be NSFW.
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